


The Song of the Wrens

by Mira



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-03
Updated: 2007-09-03
Packaged: 2017-10-15 14:57:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/161960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira/pseuds/Mira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney rubbed his forehead, frowning. "You know that I love Clara. I'd die for her. I've never felt that way about another human being. Not even you," he added, almost shyly, and John rubbed Rodney's arm again. "But the way she came into our lives -- I mean, it was like out of A Boy and His Dog."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Song of the Wrens

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, [Cate](http://sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com)!

"I'm learning!" Clara scuttled around John, dodging Ronon's long legs, and flew in Rodney's arms. "Da, I'm learning! Look, see?" She held a crumpled paper to his face, so he had to pull his head back like a turtle.

"Yes, yes, very fine, is that, what is that?"

"Da!"

He shifted her so she sat on one of his hips and took the paper from her. His mouth dropped open, and he silently handed the paper to John.

"Ah, these look like differential equations." He glanced at Rodney and back at the paper. "Specifically time derivatives of an object's position. Honey, what are you working on?"

Clara beamed at him toothlessly. "Calculus," she said clearly.

"But you're -- she's, what, three?"

She held up three fingers. "And two months. So three and one sixth."

Teyla came up to them. "I just met with Clara's teachers," she said, frowning. "They tell me she's reading one of your world's books, something about the principles of math. The _Principia_?"

" _Principia Mathematica_ ," Rodney said, and kissed Clara's temple.

She wriggled down from his arms, wobbling a bit when she stood. "Gymboree! Gymboree!"

"That's right," John told her, crouching next to her. "Time for Gymboree! You want Uncle Ronon to take you?"

"Uncle Tiger!"

Ronon swung her up and around to his back. "I'll get you for that," he growled at John.

"You are kind of tigerish," John said, but Ronon glared at him before bounding down the corridor toward the noise of the kids climbing and jumping in the children's exercise center in Atlantis' western pier.

"What is this math?" Teyla asked, still frowning. "Her teachers were very excited."

"They should be. This is stuff most people on Earth don't get to until their teens or even later."

"She _is_ an extraordinary child," Teyla said.

"I'm surprised you haven't said more, McKay," John said.

"I'm -- I don't know what I am." He beamed at them as happy as Clara had been. "She's a genius. What can I say? Like father, like daughter." John hit his shoulder. "Like fathers, like daughter, okay?"

"But the other children don't read these books or do this kind of work," Teyla said.

"No, of course not. I was building bom -- I was doing work like that at her age, and Jeannie was even more advanced. I like to think that's because she had me there. Madison's just as brilliant. And of course John, ah, adds something. Besides good looks."

"Thank you, Rodney," John said dryly. "Just a _soupçon_."

"More than that," Teyla said, but she still looked concerned.

"It'll be okay," John told her. "Everybody's a freak here."

"Hey! Our daughter is not a freak."

"No, not at all, because everybody in Atlantis has two biological dads."

"She's more than a goddamn science experiment, Sheppard."

John raised his hands. "I'm not arguing with you, Rodney. I'm just pointing out that Clara will be all right, because we're here, not back on Earth. We've got the brightest minds in two galaxies to teach her, including Teyla and Ronon." Rodney looked doubtful at this. "Think about it," John said, sliding his hand up Rodney's arm in a way he knew made Rodney shiver. "How happy were you in school on Earth? How happy was Jeannie?"

Rodney looked away and didn't answer. Teyla said, "You said you stopped playing your music."

Rodney shrugged and said, "We better step up her music lessons. There's often a correlation between mathematical and musical ability. They can reinforce each other. And studies have shown that kids who study music can focus their attention longer, and that music improves verbal memory."

"I will see she learns the Athosian song cycles. I know that Hana is anxious to take her as a student."

John said, "Wonder if Elizabeth would have time to teach her French? Maybe Dubois would."

"Dubois," Rodney scoffed. "She's Quebecoise." John narrowed his eyes. "Yes, well, it's learning another language that's important, so." Rodney sighed. "I knew this would happen. I knew she'd be like this."

"Bright?" John asked.

" _Brilliant_ ," Rodney corrected. "It was inevitable."

"Nonetheless, I am concerned," Teyla said. "She is such a happy child. I would not like to see her . . . burdened."

John tilted his head, and looked at Rodney. "Don't give me that look," Rodney said, but John only raised his eyebrows. "Okay, I know, I get a little excited. It's just I want the best for her. She's _amazing_ , okay? That we could have her, and here in this amazing place, and now _this_ . . ." He trailed off.

Teyla took his arm. "You were given a wonderful gift," she said, leading Rodney and John toward the exercise center. The delighted screeches of the kids grew louder. "The Draurmr reckons only once every six generations will such a child be born."

"The Draurmr," Rodney said, his voice heavy with scorn. "That old busybody. Officious, arrogant, obtrusive, and did I mention arrogant?"

"No argument, Rodney, but without her we wouldn't have Clara," John pointed out.

Rodney looked down, smiling. "Well. So she got one thing right."

"She got one thing really, really right," John said.

"Clara is an unmerited gift to you both," Teyla said firmly, and took John's arm as well. "The Draurmr saw in you the need for Clara, and that you possessed the gifts that she would need."

"Meddlesome, bad-tempered, and a royal pain in the ass," Rodney said.

"Who does that sound like?" John asked Teyla, who smiled at him.

"Yes, ha, make fun of the genius."

"Are you really complaining?" John asked, stopping them. "Seriously, McKay. Are you?"

Rodney rubbed his forehead, frowning. "You know that I love Clara. I'd die for her. I've never felt that way about another human being. Not even you," he added, almost shyly, and John rubbed Rodney's arm again. "But the way she came into our lives -- I mean, it was like out of _A Boy and His Dog_."

"Not that bad. No being tied down and no pumps attached."

"Well, yes. Not that bad. But still, forced."

They stood in the hallway, the three of them, off duty now, as much as the three of them could ever be off duty, just three old friends who had been through more than they wanted to remember. At last, Teyla said, "To be forced -- I have no comfort for you. We have discussed that day many times. But to dwell on that one occasion, when the results are nothing but good, nothing short of a miracle, cannot be healthy or right."

"The end justifies the means?" Rodney asked quietly.

"Of course not," Teyla said.

"I know, I know," he said. "And I agree. The results -- Clara -- she's amazing, more than I thought I'd ever have, more than I deserve."

"And she binds you to John," Teyla observed.

"More than you deserve," John said, but he was smiling again.

"I will join Ronon and Clara," Teyla said, but first she kissed Rodney and then John before slipping away.

John shoved his hands into his pockets and watched Rodney. "All right, so I'm an asshole," Rodney said.

"You are," John agreed, but mildly.

"You're okay with what happened? The Draurmr and all?"

"Look, if she'd asked? No, of course not. But it's over, and we're not injured, I'm not, you know, _traumatized_ , and we have _Clara_."

"Would you ever -- if we hadn't had Clara -- I always wanted you, you know," Rodney added in a rush.

"I know. I knew. And I think so, eventually. Didn't want to jeopardize my job here in Atlantis. Or your friendship."

"Well." Rodney took a deep breath. "I guess the Draurmr just hurried that part along."

John stepped closer to Rodney, and another step closer, until their stomachs were touching. Rodney smiled that goofy grin John loved. "Our baby's a genius," he whispered, and Rodney laughed and threw his arms around John.

"Just like her dads," he said, and he kissed John, still smiling through the kiss. "That's the best thing, that she's ours, and that we can do this now."

"Pretty cool."

"Pretty damn cool."

"Da! Papa!" Clara joggled her way to them and bounced at their feet. "Teyla says I can study with Hana! And Ronon's gonna teach me to _dance_!"

John looked at Rodney. "Dance?"

"Ronon?"

She took their hands and pulled them toward the open door, noise rushing out like a river. Over it, she began to sing:

 _"Sun comes, moon comes,  
Time slips away.  
Sun sets, moon sets,  
Love, fix a day!  
A year hence, a year hence.  
We shall both be gray.  
A month hence, a month hence.  
Far, far away!"_

"That's not at all an appropriate song for a three-year-old," Rodney told her, but he was smiling.

"No, it's for you and Papa," she said firmly, and began to sing again. This time, Rodney joined in, smiling crookedly at John as they sang.

**Author's Note:**

> Clara's song was written by [Alfred, Lord Tennyson](http://www.telelib.com/words/authors/T/TennysonAlfred/verse/misc/window.html).
> 
> I don't know if any child could read and understand Newton's _Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica_ , but if any could, it would be a child of John and Rodney.


End file.
